'Overwhelming interest' ends Air NZ's cougar campaign

A controversial Air New Zealand promotion offering rugby tickets to "cougars" - women aged 35 and over who prey on young men in bars - closed last night after what the airline said was an overwhelming number of entries.

"Cougar" has become a popular term for sexually aggressive older women on the hunt for younger men.

An online spoof documentary by Air New Zealand, promoting a competition for free tickets to the Wellington Sevens rugby tournament, tells of a cougar starving herself during the day then "hunting large slabs of meat at night" by stalking young men at a bar.

The voiceover says despite the men's attempts to ward off the woman's advances, the cougar has "not tasted fresh meat for days" and drags her victims to an inner-city apartment, often forcing them to listen to "Enya or the Eurythmics".

The promotion by the airline's Grabaseat site encourages women aged 35 plus who prey on men at least 10 years their junior to send in photographs of themselves out with their friends to compete for tickets.

Entries for the so-called Cougar Party closed last night.

Grabaseat manager Duane Perrott said the company had been overwhelmed by not only the number of entries but also the positive feedback on "such a good bit of light-hearted humour".

However, New Zealand's Rape Prevention Education has labelled the ad appalling, disgusting and degrading to women, adding that some Air New Zealand staff were also concerned about the promotion.

"They find it degrading and that it is encouraging potentially harmful behaviour, so my question is why is our national carrier promoting sexually predatory behaviour?" director Kim McGregor told the Herald.

"We have also had complaints from male survivors who have been raped by women and they are very distressed that their situation is being laughed at and made out to be humorous."

Mr Perrott said he was aware of concerns about the campaign but a Herald poll showed 64 per cent of voters saw the campaign as fun.

- NZPA